[singlepic id=25 w=400 h=240 float=right]We are pleased to introduce a free service that makes it easy for its restaurant customers to optimize their websites for mobile devices. The new service is designed to help restaurateurs capitalize on the massive shift toward mobile by making restaurant websites more user-friendly and functional on smartphones. The service, powered by DudaMobile, is quick and easy to use and the before and after results are dramatic without sacrificing the branding and elegance of the restaurant’s desktop website.

“More than ever diners are seeking information about restaurants and booking reservations on the go, yet the vast majority of restaurant websites are not designed for mobile use,” said Matt Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of OpenTable. “Our goal is to make it easier for restaurants to reap the benefits from the shift toward mobile by removing the friction associated with creating and hosting mobile-friendly sites.”

More than 100 million people in the U.S. own smartphones, but only an estimated 10 percent of reservation-taking restaurants have mobile optimized sites.[i] OpenTable has experienced a growing number of diners who are choosing to book via mobile devices. In the second quarter of 2012, reservations booked on mobile devices accounted for 28 percent of the 28 million diners OpenTable seated in North America. Since the introduction of its mobile solutions in November 2008, OpenTable has seated more than 30 million diners through reservations booked on mobile devices, representing more than $1 billion in revenue for OpenTable restaurant customers (based on a check average of $42.50 per person as reported by OpenTable restaurant customers).

Don’t miss your chance to win a table for two at Bravo’s Top Chef Kitchen! Enter today.

Calling all Top Chef fans! You can win a trip to New York City and dinner for two on October 30, 2012, to Top Chef Kitchen, an impressive four-course dining experience from Bravo’s Emmy®- and James Beard Award-winning television series, Top Chef. Located in the heart of New York City’s TriBeCa and open for a limited time, Top Chef Kitchen will give fervent Top Chef fans the opportunity to taste Top Chef-caliber food prepared by the series’ roster of alumni Chef’testants. Reservations were snapped up in under 45 minutes, but we have a chance for you to win dinner — and a trip to New York City — for two!

To enter for a chance to win a trip to NYC and dinner for two on October 30, 2012, at Bravo’s Top Chef Kitchen, follow @OpenTable and tweet “I want to dine at #TopChefKitchen with @OpenTable” between 12:00 a.m. PDT Wednesday, October 10, 2012, and 5:00 p.m. PDT on Friday, October 19, 2012. Be sure to check the direct messages on your Twitter account on Saturday, October 20, 2012, so that we can award your prize quickly.

Click ‘Read the rest of this entry’ for the full terms and conditions. And, don’t forget to visit bravotv.com/TopChefKitchen for the latest news about New York City’s most coveted reservation!

Fall is in full effect around the U.S. and while I thought I might be sad to bid heirloom tomato season farewell, but one bite of a dish with butternut squash makes it easy to move on. Rich in fiber and essential vitamins, such as A, C, and E, butternut squash has long been popular in soups and stews. And, chefs are getting even more inventive with this diverse ingredient, tucking it into tacos, sprinkling it atop pizzas, and letting it shine as a simple side dish. Find out what OpenTable diners are saying about butternut squash in recent reviews.

* Ad Hoc, Yountville, California: “Veal chops were cooked to perfection with a wonderful bounty of fall veggies. The roasted butternut squash gratin was heavenly, sweet, and creamy with a note of tarragon.”

* Adour at the St. Regis, Washington, D.C.: “A pocket of Paris dining in DC! The butternut squash soufflé alone is reason to go again and again.”

* Ai Fiori, New York, New York: “My favorite dish was the pasta course of veal with a butternut squash sauce and my boyfriendss was his fried soft shell crab appetizer. I would highly recommend this resurant for a special occasion!”

* Bearfoot Bistro, Whistler, British Columbia: “Although hard to pick, our favorites were the octopus appy, the butternut squash main, and the cheesecake.”

* Davis Street Tavern, Portland, Oregon: “My salad was a chef-inspired combination of arugula,butternut squash, pomegranate, and a smoked tomato/basil dressing. It was just heaven! This dish had pleasant offsetting notes of bitter versus sweet in an innovative combination.”

Have you dined at any — or all — of this year’s Michelin Guide honorees?

OpenTable is pleased to highlight the honorees in the MICHELIN Guide New York City 2013. Sixty-six restaurants are included, with seven New York restaurants receiving the Michelin three-star level, the highest recognition in the culinary world, with another seven achieving two Michelin stars, including new addition Atera. Fifty-two restaurants earned one Michelin star, with nine new additions.

Being included in the respected MICHELIN Guide is a sign of excellence and quality. In the U.S., New York is one of only three cities where Michelin publishes an annual guide. The others are San Francisco and Chicago. The MICHELIN Guide San Francisco 2013, the city’s sixth edition, will be introduced Oct. 24, and the MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2013 will be announced on Nov. 13.

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Caroline Potter

Caroline Potter is the Chief Dining Officer for OpenTable, Inc. She’s a dining trend-spotter and an OpenTable VIP, who dines out more than she eats in and has accrued more than 10,000 Dining Rewards points. Caroline started working in restaurants as a teen and she's since tackled every front-of-the-house job, from bartender and hostess to runner and server. She trained as a chef at Manhattan’s prestigious French Culinary Institute, cooking at L’Ecole. In addition to her role at OpenTable, she has written about food from farm to table for New York City’s famed Greenmarket and Edible Brooklyn and Edible East End magazines. Caroline is also a Certified Master Gardener.